


Fear the Future

by catastropheprone



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Anxiety, Depression, Dream is a god, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Tagging as i go!, Time Travel, based on a st vincent song, dream smp au, fear the future, karl is a time traveler, loosely based off doctor who, sorry ranboo :(
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28604358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catastropheprone/pseuds/catastropheprone
Summary: Karl Jacobs made a deal with a god, but he doesn't remember. Now, that god is trying to chase him through the time and space continuum, and Karl is forced to hide out in the lands of the Dream SMP. He knows he can't get attached, because soon enough, he'll just let everyone down.There's nothing else to do but fear the future.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Karl Jacobs, Clay | Dream/Karl Jacobs, Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 7
Kudos: 68





	Fear the Future

_ It’s too risky,  _ the chestnut-haired man thought to himself.  _ It’s too risky to try and blend in again. You know what happened last time you got attached, Karl. _

Karl doesn’t like to think about the last time he tried to live a normal life in another society. His nightmares, filled with fire, screams, and loss, come back to him almost every night he tries to finally get some sleep. They’re so terrifying, so horrid, that Karl isn’t even concerned about running on Monster Energy drinks, or his glow-in-the-dark piss-- though he’s seen some weirder shit in his lifetime.

A grandfather clock stood up against a metal wall rings its bell, signaling that it’s half-past 1 am. Karl turns and looks at his lab desk, littered with trash, notebooks, and memorabilia from previous trips; his most recent was to the Salem Witch Trials, where he encountered a village nymphomaniac, an orphan, and even more characters he was sure to not forget to write down in his journal.

Karl walks over to his desk, shoving all the garbage out of the way to look for his pocket watch. He picks it up and rests it on his palm, staring at it apprehensively for a while. He doesn’t know what the honk to even do his position. The incantations and symbols carved into the almost-rusted metal call out Karl’s name in his head, begging for him to grab his multi-colored hoodie and put it on along with the pocket watch around his neck. The voices want him to open the watch and observe it as it freezes at the 12:00 mark when he whispers the words  _ timendum futurum,  _ anticipating to travel where he wants through the neon green portal that forms in front of his eyes.

But Karl doesn’t know if he wants to listen to the voices. He doesn’t know if he wants to get himself into a bigger problem, a bigger one than the one he’s already caused.

_ No, stop thinking about that. Nightmares. _

The time traveler sharply exhales a breath he didn’t know he was even holding in. Setting the watch down on the table where he’d found it, he then grabs his notebook, opening it up to where the bookmark is placed in between the pages. The top of the page reads, “Man in Green Sightings,” and below the title are scribbled notes and thoughts of who that man could be. Karl flips through the rest of the notebook, and the notes continue on until the end of the book. He picks up another notebook, and it’s filled with notes as well. He then turns around to face a giant blackboard, marked up with chalk, covered with pictures in certain areas. The blackboard is surprisingly bigger than a Nether Portal, and it takes up almost the whole width of the lab.

“I have to know who you are,” Karl says out loud. “What the honk are you, dude?”

Karl’s concluded that this man is far from human. He’s definitely not a time traveler either. During Karl’s last trip to the Witch Trials, the same man was there along with him. But he didn’t know who Karl even was. Cornelius, his name was. Karl almost decides right then and there that the further Karl goes back into time, the less this man knows about. But Karl knows that isn’t right, because he’s had trips in the past where this man knew exactly who he was-- almost like he was trying to  _ find  _ Karl. This definitely is one of the reasons why Karl’s debating whether or not he should jump again. If he jumps, he risks this man finding where he is through the trace portals leave. If he doesn’t jump, he risks the man somehow finding him in his pocket of space outside the timeline, and who the honk knows what he’ll do to Karl.

So, Karl thinks to jump. But he can’t  _ keep  _ jumping. He’ll have to pick somewhere and stay there because he knows the man will see him as irresponsible. Karl didn’t even have a proper time traveler’s outfit. He’s going to think Karl will jump every time he gets closer and closer, so Karl  _ has to stay.  _ He has to stay in a new place, and hide out for as long as he can, to save himself.

_ But what if it happens again? What if I ruin everything again? What if he ends up finding me either way? _

Karl shook off the thoughts. It was too overwhelming. Though he wanted to sleep on it, there was no way he could. He had to make a decision, and he had to make it now.

  
  


\--

Sitting in the waiting room of the Office of Space and Time Abuse Reports, or, OSTAR, Dream fiddled with the strings on his hoodie. His dirty blonde hair was unkempt, and his clothes were ragged and torn. A woman types away at the reception desk, her nails clicking on the keys at the speed of light.

To Dream’s right, a wooden door with a frosted glass pan in the middle had opened up to reveal an Enderman. The mob turned to Dream and opened its mouth. “What’s up,” it had said in Enderspeak. “Boss is ready to see you. Good luck.”

Dream stood up and brushed himself off, getting a not-so-subtle look from the receptionist. Her face scrunched in disgust, before going back to typing quickly.

Dream followed the Enderman down the hall until he was led to an office, and the Enderman teleported away. The dirty blonde didn’t even knock on the door, as it immediately opened up.

At the desk, was a teenager-- at least, they looked like one. On the desk, was a metal nameplate that said _Mr._ _Ranboo, Director of OSTAR Offices._ The teen looked up at Dream and smiled. “Take a seat, sir. My name is Ranboo, it’s nice to meet you!” Dream gladly shook the teen’s hand and smiled behind his mask.

“Hello, Mr. Ranboo. I’m Dream.”

The teen laughed softly and shook his head. “Ah, no need for formalities, man. It’s all good and friendly here,” he said, his pearly white-- but sharp --teeth on display. “So, why have you come to the office today, Dream?”

Dream smirked behind his mask. If he had it off, anyone would think it was the devil smirking at them, waiting for their downfall. But he was only praying on the downfall of a person in particular.

“I’m here to report an abuse of powers. Does the name Karl Jacobs ring any bells?”

Ranboo slightly frowned. “I guess since you’re here to report him, it’s quite unfortunate it does. That dude’s a great guy. Do you have any specific intel I can bank on him?”

“Well, not for you. I have a nice concussion to give you instead.”

Ranboo’s eyes widened, and before he could press the red button on the desk drawer next to him, Dream’s fist was raised in the air and quickly made contact with Ranboo’s face.

**Author's Note:**

> hello, everyone! so, this book will almost work like a oneshots book, except it's all connected! the oneshots will be flashbacks, which will be in separate chapters noted with a "-" in the title! so, feel free to request situations and trips! if you'd like a form, here is one for you to use as a template!
> 
> time and location:  
> characters (dream smp members or not, but no repeats of characters in previous chapters, and no sapnap or quackity! i will be making a list of used characters at the end of every chapter!):  
> conflict:  
> resolution:  
> mood (is it something karl wants to forget? or something he cherishes? something that he regrets?):  
> timespan (does it take him a week to solve the problem? a month? an hour?):
> 
> please note that there won't be shipping in the oneshot chapters, for plot purposes!


End file.
